Shoo-fly Pie Recipe from Lancaster, PA's Central Market

In our October issue we listed the Top 10 Best Places for Pie in America.Get a taste of our picks as we break down these bakers' skills and publish pie recipes from each spot that would share their secrets. (Bakers are notorious for keeping pie recipes sacred.) By the end of this blog series, making pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving will seem like a piece of...pie?

For crust (makes two pie shells; you need one for this recipe)Mix dry ingredients. With your hands, cut the shortening into dry ingredients until crumbles the size of peas appear.

Beat the egg with a fork and add it to a bowl with water and vinegar. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix with your hands until all the ingredients are incorporated together.

Split dough in half. Using a rolling pin and flour, roll out each half so it's 10 inches in diameter. Try to work it as little as possible as it will toughen. Refrigerate until ready to use. Can stay in fridge up to 2 weeks.

For fillingMix together first three ingredients until shortening is integrated. Reserve 1/2 cup of mixture.

Add molasses, egg, baking soda and mix to blend. Then add water and mix, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl to make sure everything gets incorporated.

To bakePreheat oven to 375 degrees.

Lift dough into the pan and pat it down, making sure to secure into the pie pan edges but treating it gently all the same. With clean scissors or your hands, remove excess dough from the edges. Pour in the filling. Scatter reserved flour/sugar/shortening mixture evenly atop pie.

Bake for 18 minutes, then lower temperature to 350 degrees and bake another 18-20 minutes until the crust is golden and center of pie is only a bit wobbly. Cool in pie pan on a rack before serving. Serve with vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream.

GET THE RECIPE:Shoo-fly Pie (click to get a printer-friendly PDF of the recipe)